DVD Movie Review - American Hustle

American Hustle seamlessly blends late 1970's clothing, fashionable hair, outrageous dialogue, and subtle humor for a masterful work of cinema fiction.

STORY:

Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) a level-headed con man teams up with the sensual over-achieving Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) to create a bank loaning firm called London Associates.  Everything about the new firm screams legitimate, except every cheery investor never makes any money and never, ever gets any of their initial investment back.  Making London Associates the greatest con ever pulled by Irving.  So what's the problem?  One, Sydney is in love with Irving, but he has a wife, a house, and an adopted son, rendering their relationship a tad troubling.  And two, an FBI agent named Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), gets wind of the duo's business practices and decides to try and make a name for himself.  Pompadours, piano playing cats, dirty dancing, and science-ovens ensue.

"You keep shaking your head no, but it's true.  There's a bird stuck up in my hair somewhere, and 

I intend to find it.  Now, I'll ask again.  Will you help me?"

THOUGHTS:

David O. Russell from Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter returns with almost every member from each cast, creating an ensemble of talent and word-slinging just shy of greatness.  From Bale's horrific comb-over and sheer sloppiness, to fantastic music like "How can you mend a broken heart" from the Bee Gees, there's a lot to love about American Hustle.

This film easily lets you see what the next two hours will be like in the first five minutes.  It starts in almost absolute silence as Christian Bale works his fabulous comb-over in the mirror, using wrist flicks to thicken the hair and all kinds of adhesives to keep it perfectly in place.  Background music kicks in and Bradley Cooper appears saying, "If I wanted to bother you, this is what I'd do," and completely wrecks the complicated comb-over.  If that opening doesn't make you chuckle, crack a smile, or even let out a sniff, then you might be in for a very long, non-humorous movie.  Some viewers may also find the plot slightly hard to follow.  And that's why it's just shy of greatness.  But if the opening scene does tickle your fancy, then you'll love this film.

"What is that...Elmer's?"

The Batman (Bale) is superb here.  No, he doesn't wear any tight black outfits and he also doesn't have a voice that mimics an old stuttering car engine.  He's fat and hairy, but has an air of confidence about him that women can't seem to get enough of.  He pulls off a con man/thief easily, and you'll find yourself rooting for him throughout the story, even though he's stealing people's money to pay for his own bills and entertainment.  Adding to Bale's perfect acting is his comb-over, which becomes a gag and star in and of itself.  There's a scene where Irving is attempting to have a conversation, but the comb-over won't stop coming undone.  Bale's facial expressions and behavior are impeccable in the over-the-top situation.

Breaking News: the first picture of the Batman surfaces after spending just a year with Selina Kyle. 

It has now been confirmed that yes, she does like to cook.

Amy Adams is the seductress of the film, wearing skin tight, almost see-through outfits that'll keep most men's eyes everywhere but on her face.  Even though most of her films cast her as the cute, naive girlfriend, she falls into the English accent and man-eater profile without a hitch.  Cooper's childish tendencies and silly behavior from Silver Linings comes back here, alongside a hint of eagerness and too much ambition without any intelligence to back it up.  Jennifer Lawrence is phenomenal as Irving's nutty housewife that has freakish fire fetishes and missing morals, but somehow manages to control every man she meets.  Her scenes (the "flowers and garbage" nail polish for example) are short, but they'll be the ones you'll remember.  Jeremy Renner dons a humongous pompadour and plays lovable Mayor Carmine Polito.  He has a hilarious accent mixed with terrible ethics, and an amazing ability to help needy people with only stolen money.  His duet scene with a fat, drunken Bale singing Tom Jones' "My Delilah" is charming, disgusting, and side-splitting all at the same time.  And Bobby De Niro pops in for a strenuous cameo, while Louis C. K. gets leg humped by a hysterical laughing Cooper.

"Shh...shh, it's okay.  It's okay.  These curlers may look like a mistake now, but in a few hours 

you won't be able to keep your hands off me.

To make it very easy on you, if you liked Silver Linings Playbook and thought it hilarious at times, then you'll love American Hustle.  The appealing qualities of SLP are mixed with wit and subtle humor, making the real star of the film the writing and dialogue.  So keep your ears open, because some of the crap falling out of the actor's mouths is too whimsical to let slip by.  On top of that, each and every actor/actress in the story appears to be having a ton of fun on set and in character, giving the movie a comical, charismatic tone.  Even though the plot can be heavy-handed at times and become somewhat convoluted, just sit back and enjoy the goofiness of it all.  By the end all the subplots and different meandering routes come together in a nice outlandish package.

"He jammed a fork in my eye!"

"Yes, but I did it out of love and respect."

CONCLUSION:

American Hustle does away with action sets or mystery plot lines and instead, relies on superb dialogue, funny situations, fantastic acting, and a hilarious time period to keep your attention.  If you loved Silver Linings Playbook, then this film is a no-brainer.  American Hustle is the perfect blend of phenomenal cast, music, story, and wit.  There is a chance that it may be a tad slow to some viewers or slightly hard to follow, but either way, American Hustle isn't the type of movie to be missed.

4.5 out of 5 Stars (minus 1/2 Star for a slightly convoluted plot)